Tuesday, 27 November 2012

China now capable to deploy jets on aircraft carrier

China has successfully conducted flight landing on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, naval sources said.A new J-15 fighter jet was used as part of the landing exercise.After its delivery to the People's Liberation Army
(PLA) Navy on Sept. 25, the aircraft carrier has undergone a series of
sailing and technological tests, including the flight of the
carrier-borne J-15.Capabilities
of the carrier platform and the J-15 have been tested, meeting all
requirements and achieving good compatibility, the PLA Navy said.Since the carrier entered service, the crew have completed more than 100 training and test programs.The
successful flight landing also marked the debut of the J-15 as China's
first generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter jet, the PLA Navy
said.Designed
by and made in China, the J-15 is able to carry multi-type anti-ship,
air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided
bombs.The J-15 has comprehensive capabilities comparable to those of the Russian Su-33 jet and the U.S. F-18, military experts estimated.Successful aircraft landing exercises on China's first aircraft carrier mean the country is now capable to deploy fighter jets on the carrier, a senior navy officer said Sunday.Pilots have mastered key skills to ensure the success of the take-off
and the landing, especially under unfavorable conditions such as poor
visibility and unstable airflow, said Vice-Admiral Zhang Yongyi, a
deputy commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy."It's like 'dancing on a knifepoint' as the aircraft have to land on a
very limited space," Zhang said while commenting on the successful
flight landing recently conducted on the carrier, the Liaoning.The aircraft must land precisely over a very short and narrow runway
on the carrier at a speed of several hundreds of kilometers per hour,
Zhang said in an interview with Xinhua Sunday, after the J-15 fighter
succeeded in the landing tests."We have done all these test flights from the very beginning, and
finally we mastered the key skills for the landing of carrier-borne
aircraft," said Zhang, who is also the commander-in-chief in charge of
the tests and training program of the flight landing.Currently, the Chinese pilots have found out the right ways to
conduct the landing and they have consolidated their skills, according
to the Navy officer, who himself is a meritorious pilot of the Chinese
naval air force.Zhang said the carrier-borne aircraft and special equipment for the
landing flight have gone through strict tests, and fighter jets can be
deployed on the aircraft carrier.